A student team from Queen Elizabeth II High School representing the charity Send a Cow has been awarded the Frances Davidson cup and ?2,200 in the 2011 One World Charity Challenge final. An equal sum was awarded to a team from Isle of Man College, representing Grace Third World Fund. Send a Cow, a charity helping farmers in Africa out of poverty, was represented at the final by Nikki Allan, Angus Bonnett, Andrew Faragher, Georgie Groves, Sammy-Jo Gunning and Andrew Woods. St Ninian’s High School, representing Rainbow Development in Africa, King William’s College, Pragya, and Castle Rushen High School, Friends of Chernobyl’s Children, each received ?1900. Ballakermeen High School, representing International Refugee Trust, was awarded ?1300. A further ?9,600 was distributed between the 24 charities chosen by the non-finalist teams, bringing the total grant pool to ?21,000. Co-ordinated by the One World Centre the challenge aims to encourage Year 12 students gain a broader understanding of development and global citizenship issues. In-school presentations earlier this year determined which teams went forward to the final. The awards were presented by Infrastructure Minister Hon Phil Gawne MHK at the Manx Museum lecture theatre before an invited audience of more than 150 guests who included Education and Children Minister Hon Eddie Teare MHK and the department’s chief executive officer Stuart Dobson, also Alex Reynolds, London-based director of the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) at the Institute for Philanthropy. The event marked the culmination of months of investigative research by more than 160 students into either Manx charities operating overseas or those supported by the Isle of Man Overseas Aid Committee, of which Mr Gawne is chairman. The One World Centre’s Cheryl Cousins applauded the students for their high-quality presentations that combined enthusiasm, creativity and diverse use of technology with thorough research that amply fulfilled the judging criteria and demonstrated an understanding of the Millennium Development Goals. She praised the team from Ballakermeen High School for their ‘fantastically informal yet challenging’ delivery and confidence to introduce unscripted moments; Castle Rushen High School for their use of changing pace and ‘strong sense of personal identification’ with the charity; Isle of Man College for a well-staged presentation that included ‘clever interaction’ with the judges and ‘evocative’ images; King William’s College for achieving a first for the challenge – a ‘chat-show’ style format that revealed ‘excellent research skills’; Queen Elizabeth II High School for well-chosen imagery and music and bringing a ‘behind the scenes’ element to the presentation, and St Ninian’s High School for their ‘succinct’ and uncomplicated style of delivery. In her closing remarks she addressed the students, saying: ‘I hope you will remember not just the taking part in this evening’s presentations but the people you’ve met and learned about along the way. You rose to the challenge magnificently, spoke up for people who have no voice and have given them an opportunity for a better life.’ Now in its fourth year the One World Charity Challenge is sponsored by the H&S Davidson Trust with matched funding provided, for the third year in succession, by the Isle of Man Overseas Aid Committee. Trust chairman Hugh Davidson said the challenge, a Freedom to Flourish initiative, was ‘a demonstration of Manx values and all that is best about the Isle of Man’ in particular, loyalty to the community locally and in the wider world. Thanking the One World Centre team – Cheryl Cousins, Jenni Quillin, Katie Keenan and Claire Bader - for their hard work, commitment and enthusiasm he added: ‘And if the dedication of all the students who took part in the challenge and the tremendous support they received from their teachers is anything to go by, then the Isle of Man’s future is in safe hands.’ Chaired by Cheryl Cousins the judging panel comprised Phil Gawne, MHK, Paul Craine, Department of Education and Children co-ordinating adviser for 11-19 education, Haresh Measuria of the Karsons Family Foundation, Augustine Okanlawon of the Isle of Man International Business School, Claire Bader from the Isle of Man Overseas Aid Committee and student representatives Ben Hellowell, King William’s College, Kaya Teare, Queen Elizabeth II High School, Fay Latham, Ballakermeen High School, Richard Betteridge, St Ninian’s High School, Tom Kelly, Castle Rushen High School and Cheila Cunha, Isle of Man College. www.oneworldcentreiom.org ENDS